Baggs rebuilding CFL career with hard work and commitment

As part of his off-season job as special projects manager for The Goliath Group of Companies, Stevie Baggs took calls from homeowners in desperate need of emergency restoration.

“I did a lot of work for MDR Services,” says the personable Calgary Stampeders defensive end. “When someone has a flood or sewage backup or fire or roof damage, at MDR, we come out and deal with all that stuff.

“People wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and their house is flooded. Obviously, they’re stressed and worried and panicked.”

At 31, Baggs is on the verge of tackling a major restoration project of his own — the resurrection of his professional football career.

Minus the stress, worry and panic.

“Oh my goodness, I feel amazing,” says the Fort Lauderdale native. “I’m not done. I never considered quitting.

“We never understand what’s ahead of us, but our preparation can help us have confidence in the days ahead.”

The loquacious quarterback hunter is best known for piling up 12 sacks for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a splendid 2009 season (that just happened to end in disaster due to the 13th man at the Grey Cup.)

Since then, the larger-than-life lineman has bounced around from the Arizona Cardinals to Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Baltimore Ravens, and, finally, last September, the Stampeders.

Hampered by a quadriceps injury suffered in Ravens training camp, Baggs played in the grand total of one game for the Stamps in 2012.

Still, John Hufnagel invited the six-foot-one, 241-pounder back for another audition on the defensive line.

“When Stevie got here last year, I knew he was injured,” says the head coach/general manager. “But I thought it was an injury that would clean up in about two weeks time. After three weeks, he got on the field and reinjured it.

“So we really didn’t see enough of Stevie Baggs.”

Turns out Hufnagel saw more than enough of Baggs during his tenure in Regina and Hamilton to convince him of the wisdom of another look.

“We know what his past has been,” Hufnagel says. “And I want to see if the future can be some of the same.”

Baggs is a nomad of sorts, having worn the helmet of 12 different teams over a decade in the professional ranks. So he wanted to prove to Hufnagel — and the Stampeders — the level of his determination and commitment to relaunch his football career in southern Alberta.

As such, he took the job at Calgary-based Goliath and worked out all winter long at McMahon Stadium in attempt to rehab his leg and get in the best shape of his life.

“I wanted my teammates and the coaching staff who were here to see me on a daily basis,” he says. “Because I’ve played with some guys on this team, but for the most part, a lot of the guys are new to me. They’ve played against me but not with me.

“I wanted my coaching staff to see my work ethic.”

With so many employers over the years, Baggs realizes football is a cold business. Players are signed; players are cut. On successful teams, sentiment can’t dictate the process.

It just can’t.

So given his injury troubles in 2012, Baggs would have understood if the Stamps had told him, ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ ”

“I’m considered boisterous on the field,” he says. “I play with a lot of emotion and in a lot of ways, people think I come with a lot of baggage — no pun intended.”

He laughs . . . then turns serious.

“Looking at coach Hufnagel and the character he has, for me that speaks volumes,” Baggs says. “He’s a rare find in this business. When you talk about loyalty, when you talk about not just throwing a player to the wayside just because he’s older or maybe he didn’t have a good season the past season.

“If you show him you care and want to be here, he shows you the same thing and I think that’s rare to find in this business.”

All Hufnagel has given Baggs is a shot at continuing employment. Personal performance will determine his fate starting next Sunday on the first official day of training camp.

“He’s worked awfully hard in the off-season,” says Hufnagel, not exactly known to be easily impressed. “He’s extremely active in the weight room every morning. He’s a great gentleman. I’ve had a lot of praise from our fans, because he does a lot of things in the community. I get e-mails from fans saying what a treat it was seeing and meeting Stevie Baggs. I’m hoping for the best for the young man.”

But . . .

“I don’t make the decisions,” Hufnagel says. “The players make the decisions on the field.”

Short yardage

The Calgary Stampeders have waited and waited for the arrival of wide receiver Spencer Armstrong at McMahon Stadium. Finally, Hufnagel expects his fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft to report at some point this season at the conclusion of his service with the United States Air Force. “He has signed a contract,” Hufnagel says. “He is trying to speed up his exit from the Air Force. Whether or not he can accomplish that — and whether that’s in a timely manner where he’ll make training camp — I’m not quite sure . . . The Stamps have signed Ryan Perrilloux, out of the Florida Tarpons of the Ultimate Indoor Football League, as their fourth quarterback for training camp . . . In poetic fashion, the rain finally stopped and the sun came out Saturday morning just as the gates opened for the annual Stampeders Fanfest at McMahon Stadium. More than 4,000 people showed up to collect autograph and chat with players and coaches at the official kickoff to the 2013 football season.

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